Overhead sliding doors have been commonly used in garages, as well as loading docks, warehouses and other factory settings for many years. Conventional overhead sliding doors are of the sectional type, and typically include a number of rectangular door panels hinged together along upper and lower edges thereof. The door panels typically have roller devices that extend outwardly from each side of the door panels, and are slidably received and retained in adjacent curved guide track rails. The guide track rails are generally bent in a gradual curve from a vertical section mounted at the front of the garage to a horizontal section which extends beneath and is supported by hanger brackets at a rear end thereof from the ceiling or superstructure of the garage. The guide track rails guide the sliding door between open and closed positions. Overhead sliding doors are also known to employ a powered opener which is further supported by hanger brackets from the garage ceiling or superstructure in the middle of the guide track rails, and provided with an arrangement connected to the sliding door for automatically opening and closing the door using a manual switch or remote actuator.
Prior art hanger brackets used in supporting guide track rails in overhead sliding door installations are commonly formed of an angled, perforated metal assembly comprised of three pieces. A first horizontally extending piece is fixed by fasteners to the garage superstructure. A second vertically extending piece is connected by fasteners to the first piece, and depends downwardly therefrom for connection to the end of the guide track rail. A third piece is joined by fasteners to the first and second pieces, and acts as a brace disposed at an angle to the first and second pieces. Prior art hanger brackets used in supporting door openers rely on a different three piece angled, perforated metal assembly wherein a first horizontal extending piece is anchored to the garage superstructure, and second and third vertically extending pieces are connected by fasteners between the first piece and opposite sides of the opener. Such universally known hanger brackets have been found to be time consuming to install, and do not always offer the necessary support desired for long time sliding overhead door use.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improvement in a sliding overhead door hanger bracket which will make installation of the door less costly and labor intensive, and also provide a reliable structural support which will maintain the alignment of the guide track rails and opener over time.